Camping
by lamersammy
Summary: Tony and Ziva track a potential terrorist operation within a state park. All you could ask for for Tiva.
1. Chapter 1

_Where is it?_ Tony DiNozzo ripped apart his hiking backpack, searching for his disposable razor. He swore he had brought it back up from the lake with him. He grumbled in annoyance as he threw his bag to the ground in failure.

A light breeze blew through the darkness of the woods around him. He shivered hunkering down further in his Ohio State sweatshirt shaking his slightly damp hair. Now was a perfect example of why he hated the outdoors, it was cold, wet, and dark. Not to mention it was almost impossible for him to preside to his regular evening routine being stuck in the woods with no heat of indoor plumbing and nothing but the light of the campfire to keep him from being blind.

He glanced around at the temporary campsite; he and his partner had successfully set up a small tent and dug out their second to last pack of Ramen Noodles. Without any help from Tony what so ever, Ziva had prepared the evening meal over the warm crackling fire that he was currently using to warm his hands.

_Maybe I left it down there._ He wondered as his eyes made his way over to the steeping slope that led down the lake. Bathing in the freezing cold water temperature hadn't exactly refreshed him like his partner said it would. He ran his hand down his unshaved face, he really need to shave but he Ziva had warned him not to venture any closer to the water because it was her turn to "shower". _Oh, what the heck._ He thought as he courageously started to search for his missing object.

There was no sight of his partner as he slid down the rocky slope, cutting up his jeans in the process. He swore under his breath as he rolled unsuccessfully halfway down the rest of the hillside, brushing himself off as he let his eyes wander freely around the rocks and bushes of the lake shore.

The only success he had was locating Ziva's towel and shampoo bottles. His heart stopped as he located a figure halfway out in the lake. Quickly, he hid himself behind a boulder peeking cautiously out every once in a while, catching small glimpses of his partners bare back, silently hoping he might see more.

A familiar eerie sensation presented itself to Ziva as she rinsed her long hair out in the cool water. Someone was watching her, and she could only guess one person who would be out here in the woods in the middle of May. She finished washing her hair, and then slipped silently under the surface of the water.

Tony reluctantly made one last glance from his hiding place, and panicked. She had disappeared. He looked frantically on either side of him, she could be anywhere! He proceeded to scurry up the slope until Ziva appeared before him, wrapped tightly in a robe, carrying her supplies.

"Looking for something Tony?" She asked curiously wringing out her hair with a free hand. Tony gulped guiltily as her chocolate brown eyes quizzed him intently.

"Well," He stumbled for words; he really didn't feel like taking the torture she would perform on him if she convinced him to fess up. "I…" He trailed off.

"Taking a new job as a peeping Ron?" She asked casually, her lips curled slightly with a smile as his eyes grew wide and his face fell in anguish.

"No!" He objected quickly. "And its peeping Tom." He corrected.

She rolled her eyes.

"I was just…. I lost my razor…" He explained as she tossed his blade towards him. He caught it, half in disgust, and half in surprise. "You used my razor?" He squeaked. All the guilt and embarrassment had left this voice.

"Yes," She answered ignoring his surprised reaction. "You had not used it and I forgot mine. I assume you brought another one yes?" She guessed as she bravely climber the hillside in her bare feet.

Tony hurried after her. "No!" He exclaimed as she laughed to herself.

"It is alright Tony," Ziva assured him. "I do enjoy men a little scruffy." The familiar teasing edge appeared in her voice as she gave him a quick wink.

They reached back to camp when there was a sudden rustle from the bushes a couple yards away. Tony practically jumped into Ziva's arm's, she laughed as he grabbed her shoulders and hid behind her, taking a quick glance over in the direction of the sound.

Relax Tony, it is just a rabbit." She rolled her eyes as she slipped inside the tent to dress. Not wanting to be left alone, he hurried after her. He was about to peel back the canvas entrance when she snatched it back into place. She poked her head through the small opening, running face to face with her partner.

"You can stay out here for a few minuets." She growled.

"What if that thing kills me?" He objected nodding in the direction of the bush.

"It is just a rabbit!" She exclaimed in annoyance.

"Ha ha!" Tony spat. "Just a rabbit, that's what that one guy said in that one film, but it turned out to be-"

"This is not one of your stupid movies DiNozzo!" She snapped, zipping the door back up. There was a brief moment of rustling from inside the tent as Tony looked around the dark woods fearfully. As soon as Ziva gave Tony the signal that it was clear to come in, he dove inside and scurried under his sleeping bag.

Ziva went back out to douse the fire and saw a small rabbit dash from the bushes. She laughed half heartedly as she ducked back inside and settled comfortably down in a sleeping bag beside her partner. So far she was enjoying her recently assigned assignment, Vance had ordered them to follow a trail that would potentially lead to a small terrorist operation in a local state park woods. She was surprised Tony had volunteered to go with her, seeing that McGee was more of the outdoors kind. Tony couldn't even pee in the woods without complaining about the un-flushable urinals.

There was a groan from his side of the tent. "What?" Ziva asked as she heard him sit up and slip out of his sleeping bag. He began to shuffle around blindly in the dark; she switched on a flashlight, deliberately shining it in his eye.

Tony winced as he blocked his face. "It's too hard." Tony complained. He wasn't used to sleeping without an extra support mattress and a temperapedic pillow.

"I've heard that before." Ziva replied slyly as Tony pulled out a large, rolled up blanket looking thing. "What is that?" She asked curiously as he unrolled the inflating patch.

Tony disregarded her earlier comment. "It's a self inflating portable mattress." He explained happily as it finished inflating. Ziva raised her eyebrows as he flopped back down on top of it shifting around in a comfortable position. "What?" He asked as she continued to gaze at him unimpressed.

"You are such a city sleeker." She sighed as she switched off her flashlight.

"Slicker," He corrected, as he flashed her a smile that anyone could see, even in this darkness. "You're idioms have gotten worse these pass couple weeks, have you been forgetting to study?" He asked teasingly, remembering the joke book he had bought her the week before.

"Not being able to pronounce your absurd slang phrases are not my problem, now if you will excuse me, I would like to sleep so I can feel refreshed in seven hours." Ziva closed her eyes, quickly finding sleep.

Tony however was not as fortunate, he calculated the time in his head. Seven hours, that meant they were waking up at six! _Crazy chick._ He thought as he squirmed closer to her side. After another hour, he dozed off.


	2. Chapter 2

"Rise and shine sleepy head!" Ziva chimed brightly as she ran her finger along the outside of Tony's ear. The place she knew where he was most sensitive. It was six in the morning, and she was already packed and ready to go. Tony however was still wrapped up in his sleeping bag like a butterfly in its cocoon.

He squirmed uncomfortably further down into his extra large sleeping bag, as Ziva sighed in annoyance.

"Tony!" She snapped, he hand diving under the sleeping bag, grabbing his ear and giving it a firm yank. There was a cry of pain as he emerged with a look of anguish across his face. She was already packed, the campsite was clean, the fire doused. All that was left was him and the tent. Ziva had risen around 05:00 to go for a quick hike; Tony however couldn't be any more exhausted.

"I'm starving." He complained as he slowly rolled up his sleeping bag, his stomach gave a loud growl as Ziva exited the tent.

"Well you should've been up sooner, I made tofu dogs."

"Tofu dogs?" He exclaimed in disgust. "You call that food?" He laughed as he pulled out a full package of Oscar Meyer Wieners. He pulled out a box of matches as he made hit way to the makeshift fire pit.

The sun was rising in the east, the sky was already brightly lighten in its presence, Tony couldn't be more thankful for natural light. He struck a match and watched it burn for a while in fascination.

"If you start that fire again I will kill you!" Ziva warned him as she pulled the tent rods firmly out of the ground as the shelter collapsed to the earth.

Tony pretended to stumble around carelessly balancing the burning flame between his fingers, he was about to let it slip until he was hit hard and toppled to the ground. The match fell to the dirt and instantly went out.

He gasped for air as Ziva rested her forearms on his chest, propping herself up and glared down at him. "I warned you." She mocked victoriously as he groaned loudly in defeat. She remained in her position for a few moments longer before Tony shifted her weight over to his side.

She stood back up brushing herself off before returning to pack up the tent. Tony was forced to shove a granola bar down his throat and take an aspirin for his back pain. _So much for a good nights sleep._ He thought inwardly as he watched Ziva throw the bulging backpack over her shoulders and continued to trail north.

"Hey!" He called, doing the same with his bag and running after her. Well running wouldn't be the right word. Maybe more like hobbled from the extra amount of weight perched on his back.

Ziva walked in silence for the next hour, unlike Tony who drabbled on about some stupid movie they could be taking after. Ziva trailed a few yards ahead of him as he sulked slowly behind her out of breath. After a mile or so, they had reached a river, with an overhanging cliff about a mile further down.

"No way," Tony exclaimed as he studied the looming rock structure as Ziva pulled out a map to study. "It's pride rock!" He exclaimed happily looking over to his partner for recognition, without a response he started down the river edge as Ziva continued to ignore him.

She looked up in sudden absence of her partner. "Tony!" She hollered as she spotted him hiking with a sudden burst of energy in the opposite direction of which they were supposed to be going. "Get back here!" She ordered. Tony didn't hear her; instead he hurried even faster in the opposite direction. Ziva let out a frustrated cry as she hurried after him, she couldn't let him get himself killed, even if she had dreamed of him being chased by a ferocious bear the night before.

A few minuets later, Tony had successfully reached his destination, gazing up at the cliff in fascination. He completely ignored Ziva's lecture about running off in the middle of nowhere and handed her his digital camera.

"Here," He interrupted cutting her off in mid sentence. "Take a picture of me on at the tip of the rock." He instructed as he let his backpack fall to the ground. Without any sort of grace what so ever, he scrambled up the cliff side.

Ziva was about to object, but she knew his mind was already made up. She watched in amusement as Tony slipped aimlessly before pulling himself up and over the edge of the cliff and disappeared. She stood in silence for a few moments, waiting for him to appear in some sort of manly pose.

After five minuets and no sign of her partner, a sense of worry started to linger inside of her. "Tony?" She called out expectantly. There was no answer.

Following his rout up the cliff side she climbed almost twice as fast as he had including the weight of her backpack. Her heart pounded faster in her chest as he reached the top without being greeted by his presence. She searched around for any signs of him, calling his name as she paced along the edge of the cliff. Suddenly, something caught her eye. A small cabin was hidden amongst a grove off trees and thick bushes. She drew her weapon from her side and silently approached the small structure.

Sure enough she spotted footprints of a men's extra large and extra wide hiking boot at the muddy entrance of the cabin. The door was left ajar as she prepared herself to kick it in.

Tony whirled around as the cabin door flew open with a bang; he instantly withdrew his gun from his side and came face to face with his partner. He quickly dropped it as Ziva did the same. "What the hell Ziva?" He hissed. "I could've shot you for Christ sakes!"

She laughed bitterly as she approached him, punching him square in the arm. "Like that could've happened." She spat confidently as she glanced around the one bedroom area.

Blueprints and written plans were scattered loosely around the premise. Ziva recognized the Arabic script written messily on the chalkboard in front of her. Her heart dropped as she read it.

"Killer of Freedom" She translated the title out loud as Tony glanced at her with slightly raised eyebrows. She shuffled through stacks of papers that contained instructions of small arms training and activation of explosive devices.

"Time to call Gibbs?" Tony suggested as he slipped on a pair of rubber gloves before searching through more of the cabin.

Ziva nodded as she pulled the satellite cell phone from her backpack. "I'll be outside." She called over her shoulder before she made her way to the tip of what Tony had called pride rock. It took a while for the phone to receive service, and the reception was horrible once she finally got to dial the number. "Gibbs," She greeted. "You're not going o like this..."

Back inside Tony flipped a recently used, moldy smelling mattress pad over; he threw a ragged blanket to the floor. "Uh oh..." He muttered as he came face to face with his worst fear.

* * *

"Ziva!" Tony yelled as he hurried out of the cabin. He could see her pacing along the cliff in frustration.

"No, we are about a mile off the marked trail!" Ziva repeated for the third time as her voice came in cuts on the other end of the line.

Abby stood confused with McGee and Gibbs at her side, pencil and paper in her hand to try and determine Tony and Ziva's exact location. So far she had successfully written down river, mile, and something she heard to be Lion King.

"Ziva!" Tony screamed, only this time he was closer. Ziva ignored him and continued to repeat there location once again. "Jump!" He ordered as he sprinted through the trees.

This time Ziva turned around, what had he just said? Before she could respond to either her partner or Abby she was being thrown off of her feet, falling in mid air. A flash of bright light and an ear piercing bang filled her ears before she made impact with the icy water below.

She was the last of the two to break the surface; she struggled to stay conscious as the weight of her backpack pulled her down deeper in the current of the water. Somehow she managed to shrug it off before successfully reaching the surface of the raging river.

Tony had secured a firm grip under her arm as he made is way over to the shoreline, panting heavily before his feet touched the sandy floor. Ziva gasped for air, coughing up the small amount of water that had briefly entered her lungs. She fell to the ground in exhaustion, her body aced. Tony stood up and began ringing out his clothes before he gave a worried glance in Ziva's direction.

Small remaining pieces of the cabin floated down the river in front of her before she passed out into complete darkness.


	3. Chapter 3

Ziva's head pounded vigorously as she attempted to peel back her heavy eyelids. Her body felt like a five hundred pound rock as she attempted to shift her position to face the blurry image of the bright light before her and a silhouette of a man sitting comfortably down against the large piece of driftwood. The sent of campfire smoke filled her nose as she craned her neck upwards; her hair was still damp from the struggle in the river. She was nestled warmly inside a familiar extra large sleeping bag with a makeshift jacket for a pillow propped under her head.

Her eyes began to focus as she made out the image of her partner expertly roasting a large golden brown marshmallow over the flames of his fire. His eyes wandered over to her as he straightened up in surprise as Ziva slowly worked herself up on her elbows, rubbing her eyes in attempt to make her headache go away.

_What had happened?_ She wondered as she tried to think back to the day's earlier events. All she could remember after talking on the phone was being dragged deeper into the water by the rivers current. Her eyes finally met those of her partner who was studying her cautiously.

"You surprised me," He acknowledged her as she attempted to stand up, but stumbled carelessly to regain her balance. It was already dark, and the presence of a tent were nowhere in sight. "I didn't expect you to wake up for a while." He slowly removed her toasted mellow from the long roasting stick.,

Ziva walked over towards him, standing before him in nothing but boy shorts and a camisole. "What-" She was about to ask what happened before the memory suddenly flooded back into her mind. "A bomb," She remembered. Her eyes seemed to brighten as she ran the scene back through her memory. "You saved us…" Her voice trailed off as she noticed him sweeping his eyes over her as he slowly placed the marshmallow in his mouth.

She glanced down at herself to see what was so interesting, only now noticed what she was wearing. "Tony!" She gasped as she stumbled for the NCIS jacked she had used as her pillow. "You undressed me?" She exclaimed a hint of annoyance and surprise entered her voice as he licked his lips and smiled up at her.

"I was sorta fun." He admitted as her face hardened in anger and embarrassment. "What?" He exclaimed as she stormed to the opposite side of the campfire, glaring at him. "I couldn't let you go to bed wet could I, and I didn't fully undress you. Just half way." He laughed sticking another marshmallow on his stick. She clenched her head; he could tell she was in pain. "C'here." He patted the ground beside him in a friendly gesture. She reluctantly scooted over to his side as he examined head. "You took a hell of a hit David," He mumbled as she sighed leaning back against the log. "Need a shoulder to lean on tonight?" He joked.

"No, I am perfectly fine." Ziva continued to scowl at him as he watched her in amusement. "I'm hungry." She commented tying her hair back in a ponytail glancing around for her bag. Her brain continued to pound heavily in her head. Tony threw her the remaining marshmallows; she caught it in disgust and threw it back to him. "I am not eating your disgusting sugar filled food." She snapped, the anger still lingering in her voice. "Where is my bag?"

Tony chuckled, "You don't have a bag, sweet cheeks." He reminded her lightly. "I guess if you really wanted it you could take a five mile hike down river." He suggested, gesturing to the light reflecting water that rushed quietly over the rocks.

_Wait a minuet._ Ziva thought as she glanced once again at her surroundings. Sure enough an overhanging rock looked above her. "You set up camp near a potential terrorist operation?!" She exclaimed dumfounded. "You idiot!" She hissed as she threw her hands up in frustration.

"Wait a minuet," Tony shot back defensively. "There is no terrorist operation. They blew it up! Remember?" He reminded her yet again like she was some stupid child.

"They could come back." She retorted.

Tony let out another bitter laugh. "What would they come back to?" He challenged.

"Us!" Ziva exclaimed. Tony furrowed his eyebrows in confusion before she continued. "They could've had a video feed on us the whole time Tony. They could have purposely set off the bomb to kill _us."_

Tony s heart pounded half in rage and half in worry in his chest. What was she doing? He had just saved her ass and all she could do was criticize him for everything he had done. Without paying any attention, his marshmallow burst into flames. He tried to blow it out but it fell to the ground unsuccessfully. "Look what you did!" Tony snapped acknowledging his smoldering marshmallow.

Ziva scoffed at him. "What _I _did? Look what you did! You led us completely off trail for some stupid movie thing." She gestured to the imitation of pride rock. "And now we're a day behind schedule, without any contact to the outside world, and potentially being tracked by terrorists!"

She was about to continue before Tony stood up and headed into the woods. "Where are you going?" She demanded about to follow him.

"To take a piss, care to join?" He offered sarcastically. Ziva narrowed her eyes at him and stormed in the opposite direction towards the river.

Tony found a decent looking tree and unzipped his pants to relieve himself. "What was she thinking?" He muttered in the darkness, totally unaware of his fear of being left alone in the dark. Did she know how worried she had made him when she passed out on the ground right beside him? How about when he scrambled to remove her heavy wet clothes to prevent her from getting hypothermia or whatever that one life endangering sickness was called? But most of all she had made him worry as she pleaded to someone in her sleep to please stop what ever sort of pain they were inducing her to.

He swallowed hard before he made his way back out of the woods and back to camp. Ziva was sitting near the edge of the river a couple yards away. Her feet were partially in the water as she sat hugging her knees to her chest looking down at her reflection. Tony decided to leave her alone and wait for her to cool down.

The only thing Ziva could see as she looked down at her reflection was her big brown eyes staring right back at her. She shook her head and decided to focus her gaze on the silver half moon that hung in the clear sky above her.

She sighed; she hadn't really looked at the sky in a long time. It was odd that it had almost been a year of her getting captured, and it was the first time she had actually taken a chance to look at the sky. A shiver ran down her spine as she remembered being trapped in her cell back in Somalia, being hidden from the outside world. That made her start to think about Tony, the person who had risked life and limb to save her, she really did owe him an apology for their early spat. But most of all she owed him a thank you. Ziva hadn't really meant what she said earlier, she was just embarrassed for fainting in front of a man that she forced herself on a daylily basis to romaine strong to. She knew that there were no terrorist coming after them, one of the first things she checked when they had entered the cabin was any signs of them being watched.

Slowly, she stood up and wandered back over to the campfire, her head was still pounding against her skull. "Tony?" She asked quietly. He mumbled in a reply, without resisting a glance in her direction. "Can I have some of the aspirin you have?" She asked kindly. He just nodded in the direction of his bag. She could tell he was still mad at her.

After she swallowed a pill of two she sat down loyally at his side, glancing at him for any sign of forgiveness, when she found none she picked up the abandoned roasting stick and pieced a marshmallow through the top of it.

Tony continued to stare into nothingness as she began to speak. "I owe you more than anything, an apology." She admitted as she copied his movement while she hung the mellow over the fire. "What I said earlier I did not mean, I was mad not at you, but at myself."

Her heart warmed as Tony turned to face her, her shimmering brown eyes waited expectantly for him to say something. Tony searched for words but found none, closing his mouth and turning back to the fire leaving Ziva hanging. She sank sadly back down against the log, waiting for the awkward silence to pass.

"Ziva," He said finally after an endlessly long pause.

"Yes?" She asked almost jumping up in excitement.

"Your marshmallow's on fire." He replied flatly noticing the flames that engulfed the end of the stick.

"Huh?" She asked confused.

"YOUR MARSHMELLOW IS ON FIRE!" He exclaimed pulling her stick out of the flames, blowing on it to reveal the black charcoaled mess underneath. The both started laughing as she dropped the useless stick. Both glad to be on speaking terms again.

"Well at least you've found something you're better than me at while camping." Ziva joke as she stuffed a plain marshmallow in her mouth.

Tony gave a small smile. "What would that be?" He purred seductively scooting a little closer to her side.

Ziva licked the remaining substance off the tips of her fingers. "Roasting marshmallows!" She answered back knowingly, giving him an unsatisfied answer.

"My head is still pounding," She added rubbing her forehead. "If it's alright with you, I'd prefer to turn in?" The smile immediately vanished as she pulled the jacket more comfortably over her shoulders as he nodded. She leaned over giving him a soft kiss on the cheek.

The sly smile quickly returned. "What was that for?" He asked as she made her way over to his sleeping bag and slipped inside.

"Saving my life…Again." She added with a slight smile.

They gazed at one another for a short while before Tony spoke up once more. "What's it going to have to take making it a kiss on the lips?" He asked teasingly as she shot him a sideways glance.

"Goodnight Tony." She called hiding a laugh before turning over in the opposite direction.

Tony watched her settle down comfortably in his sleeping bag. "Sweet dreams Ziva." He muttered, almost prayer like so he wouldn't have to listen to her animated nightmares.

_(Back at headquarters)_

"Damn it!" Gibbs yelled as he slammed down his office desk phone as special agent McGee looked up timidly from his desk. It was the second time he'd witness his boss swear after a phone conversation in the past twelve hours.

Early that day they had the joy of losing connection with his fellow agents after hearing someone scream, and then the line going mysteriously dead. Once again the two most ruthful agents in the business were worrying the agency half to death; especially Abby who had almost broke down in tears just a few hours before.

"McGee," Gibbs barked as Tim stood up in attention. "With me." He ordered as he made his way up to MTAC, McGee following obediently on his heals.

"Gibbs!" Abby exclaimed as she appeared from the elevator before the entered the secured area. Her black chained boots jingled as she ran over to his side.

"Not now Ab's." He said lightly as he made his way to the second entrance of the room. Abby followed behind him without invitation.

"I think I may have found something!" She exclaimed urgently as he and McGee both slid on a headpiece, waiting for a briefing from a commander at a nearby military base.

"Make it quick." Gibbs warned her as the assistants furiously began typing on there keyboards for a connection.

Abby took a deep breath of air before informing him with her latest information, "I think I may have found where they were talking about" She exclaimed excitedly as an unclear image fuzzed on the large screen in front of them. She stopped and glanced up as a gruff looking face appeared; Gibbs motioned for her to sit down in a seat behind him.

She obeyed, casting a worried glance in McGee's direction before Gibbs acknowledge the standing commander.

"Greg," Gibbs acknowledge knowingly. "How ya been?" He asked giving a small twitch of the lips for a smile. McGee raised his eyebrows, surprised by his suddenly calm nature.

"Well Gunny, it's defiantly been difficult." The old platoon member laughed half heartedly as McGee recognized him as a man from his boss's old Marine unit. "Vance told me you needed my help?" He asked changing the subject as Gibbs face suddenly turned serious again.

He nodded, "Two of my team members have lost contact with me." He started. "They're in your neck of the woods Greg, I want to find em'." His blue eyes met the commanders who nodded knowingly.

"I'll get my crew out right away in the morning." Commander Grant promised.

Gibbs shook his head unsatisfied. "They're tracking a potential terrorist group; I can't wait to see if they're alive or dead by the morning."

Abby squirmed nervously in the seat behind them. She hated to hear people say things like that, especially from Gibbs.

The commander sighed and scratched the back of his head. "I'm going to need an ideal location if I'm sending my men out at 02:00 in the morning Jethro." He agreed hesitantly.

Gibbs motioned for Abby to join him at his side. Commander Grant raised his eyebrows in surprise as the tall Goth girl with a skull and crossbones t-shirt in a lab coat appeared on his screen. Gibbs nodded to her to supply him with the Intel she had gathered.

"I tracked down the description of their location with a GPS satellite database," She started as the commander relaxed seeing she was the forensic scientist. "It was pretty hard to do since the connection between us was horrible, but after I went over Arial photographs that were taken of the forest they're located in, I think I've finally found Pride Rock."

Everyone, including Gibbs stared at her in confusion. Abby looked around at the suddenly silent room, and up at the face of the uneasy looking commander. "I don't follow." He replied slowly.

Abby sighed, of course she had more. "They're located along the Franklin River near an overhang by a former ranger cabin that was shut down a few years ago. I don't know about you, but that could've been where they made the call from if they found any signs of the terrorists." She smiled happily as the men around her nodded in agreement.

"Well there you have it Greg. Do you think that's enough?" He asked proudly.

The commander nodded knowingly. "I'll have my crew ready in twenty minuets; I'll call with an update as soon as possible." He nodded in goodbye as the image over the screen went fuzzy.

Abby turned to Gibbs as he planted a quick kiss on her cheek then headed out of the room. "Where are you going?" She called in disappointment as they abandoned her.

"We're going to go aid the commander in our search." Gibbs replied back knowingly as the disappeared through the door.

Abby slumped back down in her seat disappointed. It was already enough she had to worry about Tony and Ziva, but now all four of them were going to be out there.


	4. Chapter 4

"I'm sorry Gibbs; they won't let me send out a chopper until at least 06:00." Commander Gregory apologized to his former fellow Marine.

Gibbs shook his head in anger as he glanced around the group of uniformed men that had been gathered to start the search of the state park. "Agent McGee will tell you of your instructions." Gibbs nodded to the field agent across from him. "I am expecting to find these two alive, so there is no need to search through brush or under any rocks as a waste of time, they'll come to you if they see you." With that he turned and walked away, the commander at his side.

"I'm sorry Jethro," He apologized but quickly corrected himself as Gibbs gave him a knowing glance. "Right, forgot about that rule." He nodded chuckling to himself. "If your agents made it through two nights in those woods already, I'm sure they can handle another." He assured him.

They were inside his office now, the commander handed him a mug of coffee as they sat opposite each other, his desk between them. "That's not what I'm worried about Greg." Gibb's uttered, taking a small sip of the warm beverage. "I have the evidence to believe they found a bomb, or possibly worse."

Commander Greg raised his eyebrows in concern. "What makes you think that?" He asked a hint a fear in his eyes.

Gibbs inhaled and exhaled slowly. "Before they were sent out, we gathered Intel off a chain of former Israeli spy's. They believed the terrorist group had set up a small training camp inside of the park. They were specialized in the distribution of explosive devices and small arm retribution." The commander leaned back in his chair shaking his head.

"You think they're still out there?" He asked gesturing to the outskirts of the park behind him.

Gibbs shook his head. "Not all of them, maybe one or two. They move fast, but they're known to leave behind a lot of evidence." He took another swig.

"I'll contact Sec Nav. And issue a terrorist alert." Commander Greg ran a hand over his face. "I can't believe we let this happen right under our nose."

"It's not your fault. This is what they're trained to do." Gibbs assured his old friend as he stood up to look out the window. Soldiers were being loaded into convoys while others stood in groups listening to directed orders from NCIS agents.

Why was it when his two top agents when under assignment together, they created some sort of disruption? He sighed in annoyance, but somewhere deep down inside of him; there was a hint of worry.

_(Back at camp 06:00)_

Tony watched as his partner slowly slipped a pair of his windbreakers over his bare legs, to cover her tiny pair of shorts.They were running a tad behind schedule, Tony had planned to wake up early (very unlike him) to backtrack on the trail they had come down.

"You ready?" He asked Ziva who silently nodded in reply, she looked horrible. Pretty, but overall she was a wreck. Tony almost made her go back to sleep when she had woken up, she was white as a sheet, worse than the last time she had woken up.

They took off down the trail, Ziva taking the lead so Tony wouldn't wear her down by walking to fast. She had slipped another dose of aspirin down her throat without Tony's knowledge so he wouldn't worry, but the pain wouldn't disappear from her body.

They hiked in silence, taking small momentary breaks from time to time for Ziva to rest. After they had retraced there footsteps Ziva collapsed after two miles. Tony hurried over handing her a bottle of water. "You all right?" He asked as she took a long swig them pushed herself off the ground.

"Yes," She nodded, hiding her embarrassment as she headed once again down the trail.

"Ziva," Tony said warningly. He pulled back on the hood of her jacket. "Let's take a break." He beckoned her to sit down.

"I am fine." She lied as she gave a rebellious yank in the opposite direction. He held a firm grip before she cooperated with him.

"No," He argued back. "You're not. Eat this." He handed her a chocolate chunk energy bar.

"This has over 500 calories in one little bar and loads of sugar, you really think I'm going to eat it?" She raised her eyebrows and threw it over in the bushes.

Tony crawled over and retrieved it. "You ate a marshmallow," He reminded her. "And don't litter, it's against the law." He said sarcastically waving the bar in front of her face.

Ziva rolled her eyes. "Well then everyone in America should be accused of a crime then." She retorted sourly, crossing her arms firmly over her chest. "We need to go." She added as she gazed along the long trail before them.

Tony shook his head. "Not until you eat." He said stubbornly.

"I am not eating that."

"Well then we're not moving."

"Says who?"

"Says me, I'm senior field agent. You eat or we sit here until someone decides to locate us." Tony's patience had run thin. He was tired of her trying to be all strong and mighty when she couldn't be.

Ziva opened her mouth to object but he narrowed his gaze at her. He was taking charge weather she liked it or not. And due to her current state she couldn't use any sort of physical violence to get her way. She continued to stare at the energy bar; she had to make a choice.

_(Helicopter over state park 08:00)_

"There a reason why we couldn't get the chopper out earlier private Cooper?" Gibbs asked as he scanned the forest hovering below them, not caring to hide his annoyance. He was accompanied by four younger pilots, heading towards the coordinates Abby had laid out for them. Gibbs felt a particular sense of comfort being surrounded by a group of Marines; it enabled him to trust them better.

"Well sir," The hesitant private started. "Its base regulations I suppose." He answered back safely, not wanting to be brought down by a Marine who was twice his age.

Gibbs nodded unconvinced as he shifted the headpiece more comfortably over his ears, and then something out in the distance caught his eye.

"Holy shit..." He heard one of the pilots mutter as the steered towards the river. As they neared, Gibbs faced hardened. A large section of the forest had been toppled down along the rivers cliff side; trees littered the floor as pieces of debris laid aimlessly in the surrounding area. They circled the spot momentarily, not bothering to comment.

"Sir?" One of the men acknowledged Gibbs, waiting for orders.

He snapped out of focus and glanced at the four Marine pilots who studying him, waiting patiently for orders. He gave a quick nod. "Land the chopper."

They obeyed, landing in a nearby by clearing a couple hundred yards down from the explosion site. They all stretched out, searching the surrounding area for any signs of life. Gibbs walked to the middle of the area where he could see the bomb was detonated. There was nothing; absolutely nothing.

The pit in his stomach grew as he shifted through the remains of what looked to be a small shack. Twisted pieces of metal and charred wood we all he found, not one sign of his agents.

"Nothing to the east," Private Cooper reported to the lost looking Marine.

"You find anything?" He asked the two officers that emerged from the forest.

They both shook their head. "That would be a negative sir." They approached his side as they stared around at the sight of destruction before them. An unbearable feeling washed over Gibbs, and it wasn't his gut.

"Alright," He started quietly, but without emotion. "Start searching for…."

"Sir!" An urgent voice called from the cliff a few yards away. Gibbs hurried over to see the last younger Marine hanging from the cliff. He was out of breath, but he had a hint of hope in his voice as he stared up with a smile plastered upon his face.

It almost made Gibbs laugh, seeing a Marine so happy hanging from a cliff. "What the hell are you doing sergeant?" He asked letting a small chuckle escape his throat. He held out a helping hand and hoisted the climber to his feet

"The rock sir," He started out of breath, "Under it. There are footprints, and…" He pulled a bag out of his pocket. "Marshmallows." A grin split his face.

Gibbs snatched the bag. It had to be DiNozzos; he would be the only one stupid enough to worry about packing marshmallows on a mission. "Where did you find this?" Gibbs asked urgently.

He pointed to his left. "Under that overhang."

Gibbs raised his eyebrows and gave a sly smile. "Pride rock…"

The younger Marines gave him a weird look.

"Follow me." Gibbs ordered as the group made there way down the Cliffside to the river edge below. He kneeled to the ground as he found a set of footprints. They were small woman's boots; defiantly Ziva's size. They followed the trail a few paces down.

"They're back on their assigned trail aren't they sir?" Private Cooper guessed as the four young Marines followed their leader like a pack of hound dogs.

Gibbs nodded. "Back to the chopper." He ordered. As they all piled back in the familiar gut feeling presented itself to him. They were going to be alright.

_(On trail 08:00)_

The cheap sticky chocolate taste lingered in the back of Ziva's throat as she trudged through a swap like area of forest. She hated to admit it, but eating the energy bar had given her enough will power to resist resting every twenty minuets.

The pain still found refuge in her body, but she pushed it aside.

"Where exactly are we going now?" Tony questioned as he swatted at the cloud of misquotes that buzzed nosily around his head.

"To a ranger base a couple miles down the trail, we can make contact there, get more directions." Ziva responded as she successfully made his way across the swap.

Tony followed moments behind her. "What do you mean get more directions?" He asked shaking off his wet boots.

"The map was lost with my backpack," She reminded him. "All I can remember is the way to the station; we can ask Gibbs for more information."

Tony grabbed her arm. "No," He said sternly, he locked his eyes with hers. "You can't continue Ziva, you need to rest."

She yanked her arm away from him angrily. "I have told you before I am fine!" She snapped as she retreated into the woods blowing him off.

Tony quickened his pace to keep up with her. "Stop acting like you're invincible Ziva, I don't want you to get hurt."

She whirled around. "Getting hurt?! Stop thinking about trying to protect me Tony, I. am. Fine." She spelt out as he looked taken aback for a moment.

He narrowed his eyes. "Really? I don't think resting ever two seconds is a great way to complete an assignment, do you?" He asked as she glared back at him.

Before she could give him a desirable tong lashing there was a faint sound of a helicopter in the distance. They watched as it appeared over the trees in the horizon. Tony gave a small laugh.

"I knew he'd find us!" He exclaimed as he ran up the path to a clearing. Ziva watched as he continued to jump up and down the like a fool, waving his arms until the aircraft landed steadily on the ground.

They quickly piled in, greeted by there boss who couldn't help but give a small grin at the sight of his weary agents. They flew back in silence before landing safely back at the army base. Barley stepping out of the helicopter, they were rushed into the medical examiners room after Tony had told Gibbs about there bomb adventure.

Ziva was ordered to return back to NCIS or go home. Which she did not take lightly with Tony. Gibbs drove them both back to base, as they argued with one another.

Later that evening after being embraced with over a hundred hugs by Abby, the pair sat across from one another in the bullpen. Tony clicked away silently at his keyboard as Ziva filled out a report at her desk. She then straightened up in her chair to leave.

"Night," Tony called as she was about to leave without acknowledging him. She stopped in front of his desk and squinted at him. He glanced up as she continued to stare at him. "What?" He asked.

Without answering she walked back to her desk and grabbed a small slip of paper and presented it proudly on his desk. Tony's eyes went wide after noticing what it was. She smirked happily and walked away.

"A ticket?!" He exclaimed in disbelief as she disappeared into the elevator. A $50 fine had been issued in his name for damage to state property, signed proudly by his partner. "For what?" He asked, thinking he was alone.

"Littering," Gibbs said shortly entering the scene with his jacket. He stopped at his desk to shut down his computer as he watched Tony's face fall as he stared in aw down at the ticket. He chuckled. "You should be happy she didn't kill you DiNozzo." He assured him as the senior field agent was left once again in disbelief.


End file.
